Unlike a television show or Hollywood movie, ProjectExplorer's on-location journalism team is kept small. Using our model for what works well, we divided our team of student journalists into the following roles:

The Producer is responsible for decision-making during development, pre-production, and post-production. They are responsible for scheduling interviews, coordinating filming locations, and keeping the project on task and on time. The Producer makes sure the production team has everything they need to do their jobs well.

The Director is the creative and artistic mind behind a production. Once the Producer and Journalist/Host have developed story ideas, they present them to the Director. The Director then decides how best to tell the story by using his/her creative vision. During filming, the Director watches and listens to the story to make sure that all questions, answers, and discussions are clear, on topic, and understandable.

On-camera Journalists or Hosts write news stories and segments for broadcast. Once an idea for a story has been decided on, the Journalist/Host gathers factual information for the story and writes interview questions. He/She must conduct enough research to be knowledgeable about their subject and to be comfortable having a discussion about the topic.

The Cinematographer operates the video camera(s). The Cinematographer must work closely with the Director to understand exactly how the filming will be set up. The Cinematographer also works with the Photographer to determine what photographic elements may be needed to add to the film.

A Photographer or Photojournalist is a visual reporter of facts. He/She must keep their eyes open to what is going on around them in order to document the story. This means capturing the experience, in pictures, from as many angles as possible. For team ProjectExplorer’s more formal, sit-down interviews, the photographer focuses on capturing the interview process, those involved in conversation, and the process of production.

Copyright © ProjectExplorer 2008
Text: Ilana Fayerman
Photos: Marc Morris